Levi took a deep, steadying breath and fell back onto his bed the moment his father left. He stared absentmindedly at the ceiling.
Well… that went better than I expected. At least now he could clear his name.
The tactic he had chosen was simple but dangerous: tell his father that he was a returner. Whether he truly was a returner, or whether these memories and flashes of events were being projected into his mind by some mysterious entity he did not yet understand—it didn't matter. What mattered was that he knew a future. A future he dreaded. A future he refused to relive.
The other option had been to keep quiet, to lie low, and to pretend nothing had changed. But that would never work.
He wouldn't have been able to explain the sudden shift in behaviour, the maturity, the composure, or the sheer amount of power radiating through him—far too much for someone who had supposedly awakened only days ago. The power of Diligence had preserved every title he had earned before. That much would be painfully obvious in any battle, any interaction, any test he underwent.
Telling the Duke the truth had been a gamble.
A returner must be executed on sight. No exceptions. By sparing Levi, his father had essentially committed treason.
But Levi had always known his father to be a warm man—one who loved his family more than anything else. He took the gamble… and the gamble paid off.
With a quiet sigh, he turned onto his side and looked out the window.
A second chance isn't entirely bad, he thought. Maybe this time I can live a normal young adult life. Go to the academy… maybe get married… settle down… conquer an island or something. I don't know, whatever rich, powerful lords do nowadays.
The nurse had said his condition had stabilised, and that by lunch, he should be able to leave his room if he wished. But he knew the Duke was expecting him. As soon as he was up, he would go directly to his father's office.
For now, though, he allowed himself the unfamiliar peace of simply being alone. Time to breathe.Time to think.Time to prepare for the coming storm.
Right, he told himself. I need to deal with the traitor before they can send anything back to Duskville. What was his name again…? Ahh, yes, Commander Alex. I'll enlist his services.
A slow, devious smile crept across his face.
He already knew who the traitor was. But since his father was likely the only one aware of his "returning," the betrayal had to be uncovered naturally—seamlessly—like a chance discovery rather than foreknowledge.
Levi Ardyn Solareth would make sure that every debt was paid in this lifetime. Every slight. Every betrayal. Every sword that had been raised against Solareth in their darkest hour.
Duskville would not escape him, and neither would its willful pawns.
His thoughts then drifted toward his younger sister, Charlotte.
For better or worse, he would have to interact with her now—whether he liked it or not. The topic weighed heavily on him, given his recent behaviour… or rather, the behaviour of the old Levi before he came back from the future.
The mere thought made him cringe.
How was it even humanly possible for one person to be so full of themselves and so full of garbage at the same time? he wondered bitterly.
With a sigh, he slowly rose from his bed and stood. He was still wearing his pyjamas—the same ones he had collapsed in yesterday: baggy slacks and a long nightrobe that reached his knees. Shirtless.
He walked toward the mirror and examined his younger body. Seventeen wasn't too young, but with his birthday still a month or so away, he was technically still a minor in this timeline.
Seventeen, he thought. Well… at least I came back before too much damage was done.
He took strands of hair from the left and right, weaving them into a simple braided crown. The rest he tied back into a clean, elegant ponytail. He had learned this style from a comrade he'd travelled with for several months in the northern reaches of the continent. Their culture was refined and beautiful.
Maybe this time, he thought, I'll visit the north as a tourist—not a fugitive.
Levi summoned his Status Veil and studied it again.
Name: Levi Ardyn Solareth
Race: Human
Titles: The Lightless Heir, Dying Sun, Prince of Blades, The Returned, Warlord, Ghost of the Sun, Heavenly Virtue, Monarch.
Core Rank: Adept
Heritage Threads:
Aurora Dominion—Type: Elemental (Light), Rank: Transcendent
Cryo Dominion — Type: Elemental (Ice), Rank: Sovereign
Acquired Threads:
Diligence — Type: Concept (Virtue), Rank: Mythic
[??????] — Type: Law (Null), Rank: Undefined
Nothing had changed. His awakening had been unprecedented from the start, and his core had already evolved past the initiate stage. He had made enormous progress in this timeline while having done almost nothing.
Well… not nothing, he corrected himself. I lived through wars. I ran for my life more times than I can count. I suppose it's warranted.
A low growl echoed through the room, and Levi blinked down at his stomach.
With a hearty laugh, he said, "Right. I haven't eaten in almost a day. I should probably fix that."
He pulled off the night robe, slipped into a loose-fitting shirt from the wardrobe, adjusted the braid in his hair, and made his way toward the door.